Physical
Nature of Science
Earth
Life
Mix
100
Maria is stirring a pot of hot soup with a metal spoon. After a few minutes, the handle of the spoon feels hot even though it wasn’t in the soup.
Which method of heat transfer explains why the handle became hot? 
Convection
100
Samantha is testing how the temperature of water affects how fast sugar dissolves. She uses cold, warm, and hot water, stirs in the same amount of sugar, and times how long it takes to dissolve.
What is the outcome (dependent) variable in this experiment?
The time it takes for the sugar to dissolve
100
Scientists know Earth’s mantle moves slowly in giant cycles. Hot material rises, and cooler material sinks, creating currents that move Earth’s tectonic plates.
Which method of heat transfer is happening in this scenario?
Convection
100
During a school garden project, students observe that plants create their own food using sunlight. What role do the plants play in the ecosystem?
Producers
100
Liam pours hot coffee into a metal cup. After a few minutes, the coffee is cooler, and the metal cup feels warm.
What is the best explanation for this change?
Heat flowed from the coffee into the cooler metal cup
200
Maria rides her bike on a trail, and the spinning wheels power a small light on the front of the bike.
Which energy transformation is happening in this scenario?
Mechanical energy → electrical energy → light energy
200
Darius wants to test how the height of a ramp affects how far a marble rolls. He runs the marble down the ramp five times at each height and records the distance each time.
What is Darius doing when he repeats the marble roll five times at each ramp height?
Repetition – he is doing multiple trials himself.
200
A video shows a spacecraft attempting to escape the Sun’s pull but requires a huge amount of energy. The narrator explains this is because the Sun has the strongest gravitational force. Why is this true?
The Sun is the most massive object in the Solar System, more mass= stronger gravity pull
200
In a food web poster, students show grass being eaten by grasshoppers, which are eaten by frogs, which are eaten by snakes. If most grass dies during winter, which group will be affected first?
Grasshoppers
200
A jogger runs at a constant speed of 2 meters per second. After 5 seconds, how far has the jogger traveled?
10 meters
300
Planet A is twice as massive as Planet B. Both are the same distance from the Sun.
Which planet feels a stronger gravitational pull from the Sun?
Planet A, because it has more mass
300
A student says: “The theory of plate tectonics should be called a law because it explains so much evidence.”
Which is the BEST explanation of why it remains a theory and not a law?
theory explains why phenomena occur, while a law describes what happens under certain conditions
300
Maria is watching a news report about an earthquake that occurred near the boundary of two tectonic plates. The scientist on the news explains that the earthquake happened because one plate was forced under another, a process called subduction.
Based on this scenario, what evidence would best support the theory of plate tectonics?
Earthquakes and volcanoes are often found along plate boundaries.
300
A biology team studies a decomposer breaking down a fallen log, returning nutrients to the soil. What role does this organism play in energy flow?
It recycles matter back into the ecosystem
300
Astronaut Maya weighs 120 pounds on Earth. When she travels to the Moon, she notices she only weighs about 20 pounds there. However, her spacesuit still feels heavy when she moves around.
What stayed the same when Maya went to the Moon?
Her mass
400
Two bikers ride at constant but different speeds. Biker A’s line on a distance-time graph is steeper than Biker B’s line.
What does the steeper line mean?
Biker A is moving faster than Biker B.
400
A group of students is testing how the amount of salt in water affects how fast an ice cube melts. They prepare 3 cups with different salt levels: no salt, 1 tablespoon, and 2 tablespoons. Each cup gets one ice cube of the same size.
Which is the test (independent) variable in this experiment?
The amount of salt in the water
400
Your class is reading about ancient astronomy. One model shows Earth at the center of the universe. Another shows the Sun at the center. What is the Sun‑centered model called?
Heliocentric model
400
A student claims that matter cannot be created or destroyed in an ecosystem, even as organisms eat and break down materials. Which scientific idea supports this?
Law of Conservation
400
A science class in Florida reads about an experiment done by a class in California that tested how light affects plant growth. The Florida students decide to follow the same procedures and do the experiment themselves to see if they get the same results.
What are the Florida students doing?
Replicating the experiment to verify the original findings
500
Tina rubs her hands together quickly and notices they start to feel warm.
What does this tell us about energy transformation?
Kinetic energy from movement is transformed into thermal and sound energy(friction)
500
A rock on Earth has a mass of 10 kg and weighs about 98 N. The same rock is taken to Mars, where gravity is weaker (3.7 m/s²).
What will be true about the rock on Mars?
Its mass will stay the same, but its weight will decrease.
500
On a sunny day, the sand at the beach feels much hotter than the ocean water. What does this show about the sun’s energy?
Land heats and cools faster than water.
500
A plant cell can make its own food by using sunlight.
Which organelle is responsible for this function, and what is its structure like?
Chloroplast; green organelle containing chlorophyll
500
A student places a magnet near some paperclips, and the paperclips move toward the magnet without being touched.
What type of force is demonstrated?
Magnetic force acting at a distance (noncontact)